The Incredible, Edible Egg

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Folks, I have another kitchen-type question for y’all – do they still make those racks specially designed to hold deviled eggs?

Reason being, I had a bunch of eggs in the refrigerator that never even got opened, so I decided to devil-up a bunch of them as opposed to simply throwing them out. I’m proud to admit that they turned out wonderfully and only one or two remain after only a couple of days. They were so yummy, in fact, that now I want to make some more, but one of the problems that I ran into before was finding a container to hold the completed eggs, should the situation arise where I don’t scarf down the entire batch in one fell swoop.

I know I’ve seen them before – they’re basically just trays with many egg-shaped indentions for holding the eggs, but do they actually still exist? Sure, I could just drive out to Wal-Mart and look for myself, but if somebody out there can lend their own culinary knowledge and save me a trip, all the better! And if they don’t exist, what else might you suggest that I use in their place?

kitchenware

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Ok, pop quiz…

I just bought a new combination napkin holder / salt & pepper shaker set which is vastly superior to the cheap, plastic things that I’ve been using thus far, but I have one problem – the shakers aren’t marked in any way except for the fact that one has three holes in the top and the other has five. Which one is for salt and which one is for pepper???

Come on, team – I’m counting on ya! Don’t let me down!!!

Test Group “A”

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I’ve finally gone and done it. After having it set up for, oh say, three months, I finally decided that a fish tank really isn’t a fish tank until it actually has some FISH in it, so today I made a stop into PetCo and acquired a small school of barbs to “test the waters,” if you will. Just between you and me, I don’t really know how the quality of my water here is – I mean, I seem to have no serious problems drinking it or even bathing in it, but then again, I don’t have to be able to extract enough oxygen from it to survive, either, so I see the next few days as being either very good to my new, scaly friends, or devastatingly bad…

Right now they’re still just checking out their new surroundings, though. I let them out of their bag about fifteen minutes ago and so far none of them seem to be gasping for air or anything. Nevertheless, at this point pretty much all they’ve got to play around are a few new plastic plants that I picked up this afternoon, as I decided to just pitch everything that I brought down from up north and start out fresh, so I do hope to be adding a few rocks or a castle or something in the near future, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re gonna have to make it through Week #1 first! Prove to me that it’ll be a worthwhile investment and all…yeah, that’s it… 😉

Best Movie Ever – Hands Down

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So this is what time off is supposed to feel like! Frighteningly enough, this was the first complete weekend I’ve had off since Nov. 24th and man, what a difference! Especially after as stressful as the last few days have been, I must say that it’s certainly going to be nice getting back to a regular Monday through Friday schedule again…

So how have I spent my illustrious weekend thus far? Well, aside from the usual writing, lounging, and fighting crime, I also had the pleasure of finally seeing The Return of the King and all I can say is, “Wow.” MaryAnn goes into it with better detail than I ever could, but really, this is the kind of movie that makes us love movies – truly definitive of its genre. I laughed as Gimli continued to spat in the face of danger, I cried as Arwen turned down immortality to be with the one she loved, and I nearly crapped my pants when Shelob crept out upon Frodo after he had finally thought that the worst was over. I’ve read the books a countless number of times, yet this wizardry still kept me on the edge of my seat as I found myself cheering along the characters, all the while knowing well in the back of my mind that the ring would be destroyed in the end and that all of my favorite characters would live to see another day. It was no doubt a cinematic experience that I’ll probably never forget.

I wasn’t around to see the Star Wars or even Indiana Jones movies when they first came out, so I can’t honestly compare them to those, but I think it goes without saying that this series is our generation’s triology. Sure, it’s sad now that the story is finally over after three years, and I honestly hope that Peter Jackson doesn’t let the money go to his head and opts not to persue The Hobbit as well, but with a lineup otherwise slathered with child stars destined to outgrow their charm and animated creatures that strive to be anything but, it was certainly a refreshing three hour journey that reminded me that Hollywood hasn’t lost its touch completely. I can only imagine the parties that will ensue when this final chapter is released on DVD and I, for one, can’t wait!

Oh yeah, and I stand by my word – if Sean Astin hadn’t been available to play the part of Samwise Gamgee, I still think that Michael could’ve stepped up to the part with marvelous results! You heard me, Mr. Frodo…

I wanna rock!

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Yesterday I learned that they’re finishing up the process of building a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, which was a bit of a surprise to me considering apparently they’re using the same casino that I’ve been meaning to go to for months and just adding on all of the glitz and glamour. Oddly enough, there isn’t room in the current plans for an actual Cafe in the mix, but there have been rumors of just building a new one when the hotel takes off, anyways, so it won’t surprise me a bit if that pops up in the next year or so, too.

Now it definitely sounds like a field trip is in order! Anybody got any quarters???

The Resolutions

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After some careful thought, I’ve decided that five is a good number to shoot for with resolutions – enough to make the whole effort seem worthwhile, yet not so much to feel overwhelming all the same. They’ve been numbered for organization’s sake, but there really isn’t any specific importance of one over another…

1. Ease Up on the Procrastination – At work, at home, just about anywhere, I’ve always been one to follow the mantra of “Hard work pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.” While that’s always been great and all in the past, I think that this is the year to get up and actually do something…at least every once in a while!
2. Lose the Weight – The doc told me when I went in during my sick phase that I was a bit heavy for my age and although I resented it at the time, I know that he’s right. At the point that I’m at right now, dropping twenty pounds would be a huge deal for me and should put me back in the proper range, so that’s what I’ll be shooting for this time around.
3. Pay Off the Bills – Point blank, I owe too many companies too much money, so that’s probably one of my biggest goals this year – to get myself completely, or at least a good portion, out of debt. It may mean some long hours and a decline in the amount of playtime that I have, but this really needs to be taken care of once and for all.
4. Finish and Put Out a Book – The idea’s been kicking around for quite some time, but this year I actually want to make the dream a reality. A sub-goal here is that I really want to focus on my writing in 2004 and see just how far I can push it, but I think a compilation book of my previous columns could certainly be a step in the right direction!
5. See More of Florida – I’ve been here for something like three months now and although it’s been really great and I’ve made lots of friends, it seems like we never actually go out and do anything. I still haven’t been to Disney World, or the Seminole Casino, or even the Florida Aquarium, so it’s time to get out and start exploring this new state! If others want to tag along, then that’s just great, but I’m not holding back anymore because everybody else’s already seen it…

New Years, New Times…

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Well, I’m happy to report that I’m nearly to the end of my bag ‘o antibiotics and my throat has just about returned to its normal, non-swollen self! I’ll tell ya, this is probably the first time that I’ve been really sick in a long time, and you really tend to take advantage of things like eating solid foods and not choking on yourself when the time passes like that…

Anyways, New Years Eve was rather quiet down on this edge of the water. I ended up just staying home and finally finishing up Order of the Phoenix, so now I’m stuck in that Harry Potter-less void like the rest of you for the next year or so! It was kind of depressing at the end, not exactly how I thought things would turn out, but I think that’s just because I knew that the next book in the series hasn’t even been written yet… 🙁 Throw in a short break to watch the fireworks from my balcony and that was pretty much my entire evening – woot!

I do have a few resolutions, too – give me a minute or two and maybe I’ll share them with you!

…relief…

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I got some drugs today and after sleeping for pretty much the fourth straight day in a row, I think it’s finally making a difference. Throat still hurts like hell and it’s kinda tough to talk, but I really should go back to work tomorrow…